Royal Contract
A minister offers gold and official pardon if the party quietly stops a vengeful plot before it reaches the king’s public triumph.
Campaign Overview
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The Gilded Debt
A cruel king once ruined a loyal man’s life, taking his name, wealth, and family honor. Years later, the wronged man returns under a new identity with a meticulously prepared revenge scheme that reaches from alleyways to palace walls. The party is hired to stop him before his plan destroys the kingdom—or exposes a deeper rot in the throne.
This campaign begins with intrigue, investigation, and moral pressure. The revenge plot is real, personal, and dangerous, but the king’s court may be just as guilty as the man seeking vengeance. The party must decide whether to protect the crown, expose the truth, or find a third path before the first blow falls.
Player Handout
The capital is buzzing with rumors: a disgraced stranger has returned, fortune at his back and vengeance in his eyes. You have been hired to prevent an unfolding disaster that could stain the throne, the streets, and your own reputations. Expect masked meetings, coded messages, stolen ledgers, and enemies who smile at court. In this story, every favor is a trap, and every truth has a price.
Free Act I Preview
The Gilded Debt
Act I introduces the revenge plot in a city court under strain. The wronged man, now operating through layers of agents and false identities, engineers a sequence of humiliations and threats meant to lure the king into a fatal mistake. The party is contracted by a royal minister or city magistrate to identify the culprit and prevent public catastrophe. Early scenes should emphasize clues, social tension, and split loyalties. By the end of the act, the heroes should understand that the ‘villain’ is not merely a criminal but a man driven by years of injustice.
Adventure Hooks
Old Family Wound
One hero learns that the wronged man’s target list includes names tied to their own past, making the conflict deeply personal.
Act Structure
Act I: The Debt Comes Due
Recommended level: 3-4The heroes are hired to stop a revenge plot against the crown. Investigation reveals a mastermind using layered identities, staged humiliations, and insider aid to engineer a public downfall. The act ends as the party learns the scheme’s next strike will occur at a royal celebration.
Objectives
- Uncover who is behind the threats to the king
- Trace stolen court goods and coded messages
- Prevent the first public escalation of the revenge plan
- Learn the true grievance driving the villain
Summons to the Minister
The chamber smells of wax, perfume, and fear. A minister with sleepless eyes bows just enough to be polite and says, ‘Someone is preparing to humiliate the crown. We need people the court can afford to trust only once.’
Open with the contract and a sense of urgency. The minister gives enough information to start but not enough to solve the mystery. Let the party ask what was stolen, who was threatened, and what public event is at risk.
Checks
- Insight DC 13 to read the minister’s fear and omission
- Persuasion DC 12 to gain extra payment or access
- History DC 12 to recall the old noble scandal tied to the villain
Clues
- The threats use language from an old court case
- One servant has vanished after handling invitations
- The next target is tied to a public ceremony
Transitions
- Lead to Floodgate Row to follow the courier trail
- Lead to the Royal Ledger House to research the old scandal
Signs in the Canal District
The canals glitter under gray rainwater, and every door has a chain or a lock. A boy points down an alley and whispers that a man with a noble’s hands paid well for sealed papers and silence.
This scene should feel like a hunt through the lower city. Use whispers, bribed witnesses, and half-true rumors to reveal that the culprit is organized, not impulsive. The encounter here can become a fight or a chase.
Checks
- Investigation DC 13 to connect bribes to a specific servant
- Persuasion DC 12 or Intimidation DC 12 to question dockworkers
- Stealth DC 13 to tail a courier without being spotted
Clues
- The culprit uses intermediaries and never appears in public
- A stolen signet fragment matches the old noble house
- The plot has support from someone inside the palace
Transitions
- Trigger the Canalway Ambush encounter
- Lead to the Royal Ledger House for the archive break-in
The Hidden Ledger
Dusty shelves tower like frozen walls. Behind the ordinary records is a second set of books, hidden, altered, and signed by hands that thought no one would ever read them again.
This is the truth-revealing scene. The party can discover the original injustice, though the full moral weight should remain incomplete. Keep the focus on evidence, not exposition dumps. Let the players decide whether to copy, steal, or expose the records.
Checks
- Investigation DC 14 to find the hidden correspondence
- Dexterity (Thieves' Tools) DC 13 to open secret drawers
- Religion or History DC 12 to interpret the court oath language
Clues
- The villain’s family was ruined by forged testimony
- At least one record was altered after the sentencing
- The king benefited directly from the theft of the estate
Transitions
- Trigger the Archive Break-In encounter
- Lead to the masquerade where the final move will occur
Milestone: At the end of Act I, the party reaches level 4 after identifying the villain’s identity and discovering the next public target.
Villain Character Sheets
Adrian Vale
Completed
Adrian Vale is the sort of villain who makes a room quieter simply by entering it. He does not rely on rage, spectacle, or brute force. He …
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Adrian Vale Character Sheet
Motivation
Once stripped of estate, family, and honor by the king’s decree, Adrian Vale now seeks a revenge so intricate that the court will condemn itself by reacting to it. He wants the king to feel helpless, exposed, and publicly ruined before he dies.
Personality
Polite, controlled, and heartbreakingly calm. Adrian speaks like a scholar or patron, rarely raising his voice. He is generous to the poor, merciless to the guilty, and always several steps ahead.
Resources
- A hidden network of servants, smugglers, and debtors
- Stolen court ledgers and blackmail letters
- A secret safehouse beneath the canal district
- Influence over at least one palace official
- Funds from recovered family wealth and discreet patrons
Battle Plan
Adrian prefers not to fight directly. He escalates through proxies, misdirection, and public spectacle, forcing the party to choose between saving lives and preserving evidence. If cornered, he retreats behind loyal agents and uses the environment, hostages, and social leverage to escape.
Defeat or Redemption
He can be defeated by exposing the truth behind his family’s fall and breaking his network, but he may also accept justice if the king’s crimes are confessed and reparations are made. If redeemed, Adrian becomes a dangerous ally rather than a corpse on the palace floor.
Running Notes
Recommended party: 3-5 players
Session Zero
This campaign should be discussed as a moral-intrigue story. Tell players that revenge, abuse of power, class resentment, and political violence are central themes, but torture and graphic cruelty should stay off-screen unless the table explicitly wants more detail. Use lines and veils for harm to family, imprisonment, and public execution. Make sure everyone is comfortable with deciding whether the crown deserves protection, exposure, or overthrow.
Scaling Guidance
For a weaker party, reduce each encounter by one nonessential creature and make social checks reveal more clues on success. For a stronger party, add one extra Bandit to combat scenes and increase the number of moving hazards or hostile bystanders. Because this is an intrigue-heavy act, difficulty should come from timing, consequences, and information, not only hit points.
DM Advice
Keep the villain sympathetic without excusing him. Seed clues early, repeat names and symbols often, and let the party feel clever for connecting layers of the plan. The best version of Act I ends with the heroes realizing the true threat is not a single attack, but a patient plan built from years of injustice.
Secrets & Clues
- The wronged man was once declared dead after a fabricated treason case.
- The court minister who hired the party helped bury the original scandal.
- The revenge plot is designed to force public witnesses, not merely kill the king.
- A palace insider is feeding the mastermind schedules and security routes.
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Encounters
Canalway Ambush
Encounter Builder
Moderate
Suggested Level: 3-4
Masked cutthroats strike from barges and alley steps to steal a sealed ledger linked to the king’s humiliation. The fight teaches the party that the revenge plot is already in motion and well-funded.
Creatures
Terrain Features
Narrow stone bridges, slick canal edges, moored barges, and half-cover from cargo crates. Creatures pushed into the canal must contend with difficult climbing.
Treasure
A stolen signet fragment, 38 gp in mixed coin, and a water-damaged note naming a palace servant.
DM Notes
Add or remove one Bandit to tune difficulty. If the party is strong, have one Thug start on elevated cover with crossbows.
Archive Break-In
Suggested Level: 3-4
The heroes infiltrate a records house to find proof of an old injustice. A lone defender and hazardous shelves make the scene tense, and the evidence points toward royal crimes buried years ago.
Creatures
Terrain Features
Tall shelving aisles, locked cabinets, oil lamps, and a soot-choked back stair. Falling books can create lightly obscuring areas at the DM’s discretion.
Treasure
A hidden deed, a blackmail ledger, and a cipher key leading to the next stage of the plot.
DM Notes
This works as stealth, negotiation, or a brief combat. If you want more pressure, add 1 Bandit arriving mid-scene.
Masquerade Fracture
Encounter Builder
High
Suggested Level: 4
During a court celebration, the revenge plot turns theatrical: a poisoned toast, a false accusation, and a panic-driven rush toward the king. The heroes must stop the chaos while identifying the true target.
Creatures
Terrain Features
Crowded ballroom, staircases, draped curtains, serving tables, and chokepoints around the dais. Collapsing panic can turn the room into difficult terrain.
Treasure
A jeweled mask, a coded invitation to the hidden meeting, and proof of an inside accomplice.
DM Notes
Run this as a hybrid social/combat encounter. If needed, the Spy can flee rather than fight to keep the mystery alive.
Magic Items
Ledger Key of Quiet Doors
Completed
Ledger Key of Quiet Doors
Uncommon
A brass key stamped with a blank crest. While carried, it grants advantage on one check per day made to open, hide, or access a locked archive tied to the royal court.
Location
Act I, Royal Ledger House
Attunement
False; no attunement required
Mask of the Second Name
Completed
Mask of the Second Name
Uncommon
This velvet masquerade mask helps the wearer pass as a servant or minor noble for brief social scenes, reflecting the campaign’s layers of false identity and hidden motives.
Location
Act I, King’s Summer Hall
Attunement
True; attunement by a creature with proficiency in Deception or Performance
Vial of Gilded Ash
Completed
Vial of Gilded Ash
Common
A single-use alchemical relic from the villain’s hidden cache. When thrown, it creates a glittering cloud that reveals invisible creatures or concealed writing in the area until the end of the next round.
Location
Act I, Floodgate Row
Attunement
False; no attunement required
Player Characters
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